Pair dead in murder-suicide in Luzerne County

Investigators walked through the dreary Monday morning fog and into a Butler Township home atop the Freeland mountain, the scene of a suspected murder-suicide involving a husband and wife.

Amanda Christman

Investigators walked through the dreary Monday morning fog and into a Butler Township home atop the Freeland mountain, the scene of a suspected murder-suicide involving a husband and wife.

They sought answers in the deaths of John Walton, 51, and Stacy Walton, 41, who Acting Luzerne County Coroner William Lisman would later say were pronounced dead at about 9:40 a.m. inside their home at 470 E. Butler Drive. Each died of a single gunshot wound, he said.

They were found by their son, John Jr., and Stacy's father, who went looking for them after it appeared they hadn't left their home in the Hi-Tor East development as expected Monday morning, Lisman said. Butler police Chief Dave Pavelko said John and Stacy Walton were found in the same room of the home.

The Waltons were together since about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, but investigators were unsure when they died, Lisman said. Dave Pavelko said earlier Monday that he did not believe anyone else was in the home Sunday night or Monday morning.

The death investigation has been labeled a murder-suicide, though Lisman said his office would be unable to say who the victim was until further testing is completed.

At the scene Monday morning, about a dozen police vehicles from Butler as well as Sugarloaf Township and state police at Hazleton, who assisted, parked around the home, and officers strung crime scene tape across Hi-Tor East Terrace, blocking a portion of the road.

A few friends or family members gathered outside the home and consoled one another, the grief visible in their expressions.

As the investigation continued into the afternoon, the thick fog began to shroud the tan ranch-style house, as well as investigators who walked in and out. The couple purchased the home in August 2009, according to a county property database.

Stacy Walton was an elementary and middle school English as a Second Language teacher in the Hazleton Area School District. She worked at the Freeland, Drums, Arthur Street and Valley schools.

District Superintendent Francis X. Antonelli called the teacher of 10 to 12 years "irreplaceable," saying she formed a close bond with students and made an extra effort to get to know them.

Antonelli said Stacy Walton was "very well-respected" by both students and teachers and "always took the extra step to provide the students with whatever they needed to be successful."

"She was able to connect with them possibly from being a mother herself," Antonelli said, noting her son is college age.

Assistant Superintendent Donald Bayzick and school nurse Ellen McBride arranged for grief counselors to be in district schools starting Monday once word of Stacy Walton's death spread. Bayzick, his voice solemn, labeled Stacy Walton an "outstanding educator" who will be missed by the entire school community and expressed the district's condolences to the family.

Though some students did not know what happenened as of Monday, Antonelli said most would find out by Monday evening. Those who knew on Monday, he said, were "saddened and really devastated."

"You can't foresee these things," Antonelli said.Their heartache was compounded by the "unthinkable" murder of schoolchildren and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Friday, the superintendent said.

John Walton was a local contractor specializing in paving. Attempts to reach family or friends willing to talk about him were unsuccessful, and neighbors in the Butler Township development also declined to discuss the matter.

According to Luzerne County Court records, John Walton filed for divorce Nov. 28.achristman@standardspeaker.com___(c)2012 the Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pa.)Visit the Standard-Speaker (Hazleton, Pa.) at standardspeaker.comDistributed by MCT Information Services

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